IMDonehere

Well Travelhorizons, I see by your profile that you too are a travel professional.

I have no problem with travel professionals but when they couch comments could result in a financial benefit, than I do. Travel professionals should make disclosures about their source of income especially when recommending hotels and other places which could generate income for them.

To call Spain the culinary capital is the type of hyperbole that salespeople are always given to. And Travelhorizons if you want to call that "passion" sobeit.

Revulgo

gobarbgo,
Here is a self guided tapas tours for barhoppers in Madrid:
http://goo.gl/maps/weziE

Robert2533

"Spain is not the culinary capital of the world. They have long way to go on bread, desserts, beef, and vegetable dishes. And the work of Ferran Adria has not reached many of the precincts."

San Sebastian-Donostia, Bilbao and Pamplona are just three of the top dining spots in the north, but there are more, a whole lot more, and that includes some of the new restaurants, wine bars and gastro pubs in Sevilla, Jerez and Malaga. Some places in the south have so far missed the evolution of fine cuisine, but it is only a matter of time before they catch up.

And yes, the bread is excellent in most places, but some still stick with the old style, inedible unless soaked in liquid for hours.

Spain, in general, and Basque chefs in particular, leads the culinary world. Its wines are now considered by most sommeliers superior to French wines except for the most expensive Bordeaux’s. And if you didn't know, the majority of Spanish wines are produced Bordeaux style.

rialtogrl

"Tapas are usually eaten between 5-7 PM" hmmm... where exactly did you eat tapas at 5 pm? Just curious as that has not been my experience - I'd say people START to eat tapas at 7 pm or even later. At 5 pm? Most places won't even be open.

For the OP - in Barcelona try Canalones which are wonderful stuffed pasta tubes with bechamel sauce. And try the fried chipirones - squid. There is a recent thread about Barcelona started by jamikins with some good food and restaurant recs in it as well as a TON of Paris threads about food - do some searches.

In Paris you might check out Les Berges de Seine, on the banks of the Seine on the left bank. There are a few places there to buy food to take away, including a food truck selling burgers. Its pretty cool.
http://lesberges.paris.fr/en/themes/...-and-drinking/
Of course you can also buy stuff for a fabulous picnic at one of the weekly markets or the daily ones like Place d' Aligre - pates, cheese, bread, wine... take it to the banks of the river for a picnic with a view.

In Madrid the Mercato San Miguel is a lot of fun, but it is pricey. One thing that is famous in Madrid is the hot chocolate with churros, but I confess it is a bit rich for me and I am more in the wine/cheese camp. But you should do it at least once in your month there.

And since you have a whole month, maybe you can do a couple of picnics in Retiro Park. You'll find your own favorite spots for tapas in your month and I hope you will report back.

Leely2

My list is really too long for Paris. Do some reading on Parisbymouth.com .

Off the top of my head the past couple of years I've liked Le Cinq and La Grande Cascade for fancy shmancy, L'Auberge du 15 for expensive modernized trad, Cafe des Musees for lunch in the Marais (touristy but was still good last time I went), Jacques Genin for chocolates, caramels and millefeuille, Chateaubriand for risky modern, Septime for safe modern, Terroir Parisien in the 5th for modernized trad again--however have read it's gone downhill and their new location is better, so you might check in that b/c the new location is in the 2nd, close to you.

http://johntalbottsparis.typepad.com...ame-time-.html

http://parisbymouth.com/our-guide-to-paris-restaurants/

I am debating whether to go to Paris this summer too. I just can't seem to decide.

Robert2533

"There are tapas, raciones, and pintxos. The differences will ignite an argument among Spaniards similar to how many angels can fit on the top a pin."

Highly doubtful that most people is Spain care enough to make a point. But pintxos are from the north; the Basque country, Navarra and parts of Aragon. Tapas are found everywhere else.

Some places (heavy tourist traffic areas) are serving tapas from noon on, but it's still considered non-traditional. We go out for pintxos in the north and in Madrid after 7:00, not before.

nytraveler

Spain is NOT he culinary capital of the world - you need to order carefully and stick to local specialties for decent food And IMHO there is way to much oil in food over most of the country. You should focus on seafood and ham to be safe - beef is poor (when they have any) and lamb is good only in the spring (otherwise they try to hide mutton as lamb).

IMHO Belgium is the best cuisine in europe - I have never had a bad meal there - no matter how simple the place - in 6 different trips to all parts of the country. The classic dish is moules frites (a basic at any cafe) but there are wonderful upscale places that have incredible gourmet food. (In one manor house near Spa where we had dinner the amuse bouche - served with a glass of champagne in the great hall in front of a huge fireplace - consisted of a tiny pot of pea soup with ham morsels, minute grilled shrimp with an incredible slightly spicy sauce and a super thin slice of light as air fish mousse. (Have also had fantastic meals in France - but some not great ones. Italy has generally very good food - but more family style - except for Venice - where one must be careful due to the huge number of tourists who will eat anything.)

Agree that in Scotland one should also be careful with food. The salmon is wonderful though, as is the fresh local trout and the Angus beef. But do order defensively.

nytraveler

Sorry - the wonderful dinner was the Manoir de Leboiles near Spa. We also had a similar spectacular meal at the Moulin des Ruats near Avallon in France.

IMDonehere

Highly doubtful that most people is Spain care enough to make a point.
____________________________
Until now, I at least gave you credit for knowing Spain and Spaniards. It is a source of amusement and disagreement among Spaniards. Try listening to the Spaniards instead of selling hotel rooms.

IMDonehere

"Tapas are usually eaten between 5-7 PM" hmmm... where exactly did you eat tapas at 5 pm? Just curious as that has not been my experience - I'd say people START to eat tapas at 7 pm or even later. At 5 pm? Most places won't even be open.
________________
No problem you go where you want I will get tapas as early as 5 PM. You are confusing restaurants with tascas.

IMDonehere

There are a number of places in Donostia that offer a full complement of tapas for breakfast.

IMDonehere

The difference between tapas and pintxos is even highlighted in the movie The Way, as source of amusement where the Basque waiter is unforgiving when asked for tapas. BTW it is an excellent movie and truly captures the spirit and trials of The Camino.

IMDonehere

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwO3u6QJU6Q

From the movie The Way

Robert2533

Spain has some of the best veal in the world. Beef is not normally found on anyone's menu. Never has been, but oxen certainly is. There is also wild game on most menus, both north and south. A secreto of Ibérico pork (a tenderloin) is to die for. And lets not forget all of the great fish and shellfish you have to choose from.

Spring Lamb is a foreign concept. In most parts of Spain baby lambs are born weekly. The herds are kept separate so that there is a constant flow of baby lambs throughout the year. And oil, good extra virgin olive oil, first cold pressing, is a main stay of a healthy diet in Spain, along with all of the nuts, fruits and vegetables (from Navarra).

A frittata and tortilla española are similar, but not quite the same.

rialtogrl

ImDoneHere, can you suggest some places in Madrid that serve tapas at 5 pm? I'll check them out on my next trip.

IMDonehere

A frittata and tortilla española are similar, but not quite the same.

Can't dispute that logic.
_____________

Spain makes some of the best olive oil in the world and is under appreciated in the US. The pork and seafood dishes are exceptional in Spain.

gobarbgo

thanks everyone for your excellent ideas. I got a great array of places to go, foods to eat, and what foods not to eat. I promise to report back on this forum during my travels.

PetrosB3

How nice to meet another Foodie! Well Europe certainly is a heaven for Foodies, like us, each country has its own unique eating culture, some are excellent, and some other are a bit boring. If the food is such an important thing in your Trip, Central and Western Europe (except France) is not a very good choice, sadly. The food is dull, and that's maybe because people in these countries care a bit more about drinking, than eating, food actually is accompanying beer and not vice versa. The food is really heavy, with alot of meat and calories, gabbage, sausages and potatoes, IMO it is very boring, tasteless, heavy, not delicate and without the finesse of the South European Culinary Scene, like Spain, South France, Italy and Greece. I mean gave you ever seen a restaurant with Dutch, Belgian, Czech, German or Austrian Cuisine? Nope, or quite few and thars because the food in these countries is bad.

Why don't you do a Trip in South Europe and France? That sounds more interesting for a Foodie. Spain with Paella and Tapas, Italy with Pasta, Pizza and exceptional regional Cuisine, Greece the capital of Mediterranean Culinary scene, fresh fish and vegetables, thousands of cheeses, spices, olive oil, the influence from the East, the mezes. That sounds far more interesting. but thats my opinion, you choose, but trust me I have been in almost every country in Europe and I know how to compare... I would suggest you to rethink, Central Europe has great destinations to see, but the food is really bad.

StCirq

I hope you meant Central and Eastern Europe, PetrosB3, because otherwise your characterization of the food in what you call Western Europe is completely off base. I'll agree that Central and Eastern European cuisine can be lacking. But Belgian? Belgian food, IMO, is the absolutely BEST cuisine in all of Europe. By far. And I'd put Greek food, overall, squarely in the realm of mediocre. Turkish is far more interesting.

lavandula

In the Netherlands if you are looking for inexpensive but traditional food you could do worse than look for a pancake restaurant. Pancakes are not breakfast food there and come in savoury versions. They are quite filling. In Amsterdam try these people:

http://www.pancake.nl/indexeng.php

Lavandula